Container for dry comminuted material



April 6, 1937.

B. s. HOUCK' CONTAINER FOR DRY COMMINUTED MATERIAL Filed March 12, 1934 NVENTOR. wmj. m. BY

- ATTOR E1;

Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATE comma son an commnoran Mil-mama Byron S. Honck, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 12, 1934, Serial No. 715,204

Claims.

This invention relates to and has for a principal object the provision of a simple, efficient and economical type of sift-proof container for face powder, cosmetics or other dry and finely 5 divided materials which will prevent the sifting or leaking of the powder from a container which has been opened for use.

In the consideration of my invention it may be understood that face powder and other dry materials in finely divided form, but particularly face powder, are supplied for use in pas'teboard boxes in which the powder is sealed in drums" secured in position in the boxes and covered by a paper head adapted to be pierced or cut away at the margins of the box so as to afford access to the powder. once unsealed and the drum opened the powder constantly sifts through the space between the lid and the box and causes a substantial wastage and other disadvantageous results.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a container for the powder which differs but slightly in form and cost from containers now in commercial use but has the additional advantage of a positive sift-proof seal between the box and the lid, thereby preventing loss of the powder and other attendant disadvantages.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a preferred form of my invention, subject to modification, within the scope of the appended claims,

without departing from the spirit thereof.

In said drawing: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a powder container, partly broken away and with the lid open,

embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a spacer for insertion between the wall of the box and the drum in one embodiment of the invention;

which the powder is originally sealed, as seen from the top;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drum as seen from the bottom and in open position at the bottom for receiving a supply of powder;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the container with the lid sealed for preventing the sifting of powder from the box;

Fig. 'I is a view similar to Fig. ,6, but showing a slightly modified form of container with the spacer omitted.

Briefly described, the preferred, embodiment of my invention includes a conventional box B of any desired form having a detached, detachable or hinged lid L, a sealing element 8 secured to the Accordingly, when the box is Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the drum in inner surface of said lid, a drum D for holding the powder, and an optional spacer or pipe C adapted to be secured in the box B between the walls of the box and the drum.

The drum D, as shown, is ofcommercially standard form and character and usually is formed of cardboard bent to provide side walls I, 2, 3 and 4 and a bottom 5, with a flap or tab 6 which is cut from the bottom at its margins I, 8 ands and scored at I0, so that it may be opened' for charging the drum with a filling of powder, after which the tab is glued to the bottom at its margins.

As usually made the walls of the drum closely fit and are secured to the walls of the box B, but I prefer to space the walls of the drum from the box by means of the spacer shown in Fig. 3. Said spacer is formed of cardboard and conforms to the shape and size of the box B, so that its walls II, I2, I3, and. II will closely fit and may be secured to the walls l5, I8, I1 and I8, respectively, of the box, and on their inner sides abut the walls I, 2, 8 and 4 of the drum D.

As shown in Fig. 6, the spacer C is of slightly less height than the drum D, and in the modified form of container shown in Fig. 7 the spacer is of substantially less height than the box B, for the purpose of providing ample room within the box for the distension of the sealing element 8 so that it may frictionally engage not only the upper edges of the drum D and spacer C but the inner surfaces of the walls II, I8 I1 and I8 of the box B.

The'seal S is formed of highly resilient and soft, and preferably sponge rubber so that it may be readily compressible upon the closing or attachment of the lid L to the box. Powder clings to the lid and to all other surfaces with which it may come in contact and for that reason the seal Sis preferably made of a single sheet of material of slightly less size than the box B into which it telescopes when the lid is closed, but said seal may be formed only of a marginal strip of material overlying and adapted to frictionally engage the upper edges of the drum D and the spacer C. As shown in Fig. 6, .the lid when'closed compresses and distends the seal S at its margins so as to tightly engage the upper edge, of the drum D, even to'a point of tight contact with the upper edge of the spacer C, and moreover, with the inner surface of the walls of the box B. Thus, the powdercontained in the drum D may not sift through the spaces between the drum and the box or the box and thelid.

The modified form of seal and box shown in Fig. 7 omits the spacer and the seal is slightly bevelled at its edges so that when the lid is closed and the seal is compressed, the edges of the seal will be distended, as shown by broken lines, so as to overlie the edge of the drum and tightly engage the inner surfaces of the walls of the box.

The lid L may be hinged, as at I 9, to a wall of 10 the box B and attached at its opposite margin to an opposite wall of the box, as by means of a snap I fastener, as shown in Fig. 1, and including a tab 20 attached to lid L and a. snap button 2| attached to a front of the box B, or otherwise. When the lid is completely detachable fasteners are necessarily provided on at least two sides of the box so as to hold the lid tightly closed and the seal S tightly compressed against the edges of the drum and the inner surface of the box adiacent the edges of the seal.

The powder P is placed in the drum while the drum is open, as shown in Fig. 5, after which the tab 9 is sealed, and the drum is then inverted and placed in the box B with the bottom thereof downwardly in contact with the bottom 22 and the top 23 of the drum uppermost. Said top 23 is usually formed of thin paper which overlies and is glued to the outer surfaces of the walls of the drum and is adapted to be pierced at a point, or points, or entirely cut away at the margins, so as to afford access to the powder P in the drum.

It is preferable to provide the inner side of the lid L with a seal S which will afford a continuous surface for contact with the powder and freefrom any portions which may accumulate powder, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be apparent that the lid L is necessarily secured to the box B in such a manner that the seal will be suillciently compressed and distended at its margins to pre- 40 vent the sifting of powder from the container.

Also the seal S must be sufficiently thick to permit a proper distension thereof at its margins to render the container sift-proof. Accordingly the box is substantially deeper than the drum.

In its broadest aspects my invention compre hends the provision of a box having a lewe extending entirely therearound, preferably though not necessarily below the level of the top of the box, and of uniform height throughout its length, 50 and a lid held in tension on said box and provided with a compressible seal overlying said ledge, for preventing the sifting and loss of powder or other materials from the container when the lid is in position thereon. Obviously, the usefulness of my 55 invention is not restricted to the form shown and described, and does not necessarily require the drum or the spacer, as satisfactory results may be obtained by omitting either or both of said elements,

What I claim is:

1. A container for comminuted dry materials comprising: a box open at its top, an inner receptacle for the material having a continuous edge in a single plane below the open edge of said box, a lid attachable to and for closing said box, a compressible seal secured to the lower side of said lid and overlying the edge of said receptacle and having its marginal portions formed so as to telescope into said box, and means for securing said lid to and for tensioning the same on said box for holding said seal compressed against the edge of said receptacle.

2. A container for comminuted dry materials comprising: a box open at its top, a lid attachable thereto, a compressible seal secured to the inner side of said lid and adapted to telescope into said box, an inner receptacle in said box having a continuous ledge underlying the margins of said seal, and means for tensioning said lid on said box, whereby the marginal portions of said seal will be compressed against said ledge and the edges thereof distended into frictional engagement with the inner sides of said box adJacent said ledge.

3. A container for comminuted dry materials comprising: a box open at its top, a lid attachable thereto, a compressible seal secured to the inner side of said lid and adapted to telescope into the open top of said box, a receptacle in said box having its walls spaced from the walls of said box and its edge continuous and in a single plane below the open top, of the box and underlying marginal portions of said seal, and means for tensioning said lid on said box, whereby portions of said seal are compressed against the edge of said receptacle and other portions thereof are distended and compressed against the inner surfaces of said box.

4. A container for comminuted dry materials, comprising spaced inner and outer receptacles having their top edges disposed in different planes, said inner receptacle being lowermost, a lid therefor, a compressible resilient seal secured to the inner side of said lid and having its marginal portions overlying the top edge of said inner receptacle, and means for tensioning said lid on said box, whereby different portions of said seal will frictionally engage the edge of the inner receptacle and adjacent inner portions of the outer receptacle.

5. A container for comminuted dry materials comprising: nested inner and outer receptacles having their sides spaced apart and the top of the inner receptacle in a lower plane than the top of the outer receptacle, a spacer between the inner and outer receptacles, a lid therefor, a compressible rubber seal secured to the lower side of said lid and having its marginal portions arranged for. overlapping engagement with the top edge of the inner receptacle, and means for tensioning said lid on the outer receptacle, whereby different portions of said seal will compress against the top edge of the inner receptacle and the adjacent walls of the outer receptacle. 3

BYRON S. HOUCK. 

